


Over The Sea to Paradise

by LallybrochLoser



Category: Outlander (TV), Outlander Series - Diana Gabaldon
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Based on a Tumblr Post, Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, F/M, Moodboard One Shot, Shipwrecks, Whump, writing challenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-07
Updated: 2019-12-07
Packaged: 2021-02-26 17:47:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21702427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LallybrochLoser/pseuds/LallybrochLoser
Summary: It’s 1768 and world renowned treasure hunters Jamie and Claire Fraser are about to embark on their most exciting adventure yet. The mysterious Easter Island is rumored to hold a bounty of gold and gems that would allow the ever enamored couple to finally retire and start a family. But when an unexpected storm throws their plans and trip into chaos, this exciting trip turns into a dangerous battle of survival.
Relationships: Claire Beauchamp/Jamie Fraser
Comments: 9
Kudos: 71





	Over The Sea to Paradise

**Author's Note:**

> BIG FAT OUTLANDER SIZED SHOUTOUT to iamnottrisha and outlanderlush on Tumblr/Twitter for putting this marvelously challenge together! I had SOOO much fun writing this! I hadn’t written one shots in so long, I was afraid I had forgotten how to do it xD And, of course, all my love are belong to gastairfad on Tumblr for putting the beautiful mood board together. You know it’s a good one when you look at it, and IMMEDIATELY know what to write ;D
> 
> All my love, praise, and incoherent fangirling screeches to happytoobserve on Tumblr for her magical beta wizardry <3

“Ye ready, Sassenach?” Jamie Fraser called out to his wife, Claire. “The ship’s waiting on _us_ , ye ken.”

“I’ve been asking you that for the last twenty minutes!” Claire mused, gathering her shawl around her shoulders and placing a weathered leather hat atop her head. “You know, for someone who’s widely known as a treasure hunter, you always stall the ship because you get sea sick.”

Jamie blushed slightly at this, but it wasn’t a lie. James Alexander Malcolm MacKenzie Fraser of Broch Tuarach in the Scottish Highlands lived the most ironic life in that sense; he’d spent more time in his life aboard a boat than on land, scouring the earth for lost remnants of fortune, and yet his innards never quite grasps the concept of sea voyage. It was how he met one Claire Beauchamp, a rare woman with a medical degree from university. She had been the one to make traveling by sea much more bearable. It wasn’t long before they were wed (on a boat, naturally), their love for each other ravenous, and sailing wherever they could to make their living. As a team.

“Ye canna prove anythin’,” he snided playfully.

Claire returned his gesture with a wry smile; she knew she’d never be wrong on that account.

“Let’s go, Jamie,” Claire said as she extended her hand for her husband to take. His left hand was warm and calloused against her smooth, fair one.

“Aye. To Easter Island!”

Despite being known far and wide as the best and most successful bounty hunters in the Scottish Highlands, and abroad, they never managed to keep whatever fortunes they found. This time would be different though. Word had spread around the Highlands from all the way in Paris that the mysterious, yet recently discovered, Easter Island harbored rare and valuable treasure, left behind by its early Polynesian inhabitants in the late 13th century. Ancient coins worth several thousands of pounds sterling, unearthed gem stones worth more than that, and all anyone had to do was sail to the island and head due north towards the center, where the ruins of an ancient Polynesian temple sat. However, no one had dared to venture to that particular coast of South America; whispers of the supernatural and cursed spirits left kept seekers of fortune at bay. Stories and folktales spoke of people disappearing forever, treasure hunters and pirates never seen nor heard from again. So, the supposed treasure still lay unclaimed.

But, it would take more than ghost stories to keep Jamie and Claire Fraser away. When all others said, “no way!” The Frasers said, “challenge accepted.”

Jamie and Claire made their way onto _The Ultimatum_ , a large cargo vessel that would carry the adventurous couple directly from the ports of Paris to the southern edge of their destination. Jamie’s older cousin, Jared Fraser, was the one who not only arranged their transport, but told Jamie of the treasure in the first place.

“She might have a presumptuous name, but she’s reliable,” Jared explained as Jamie helped Claire onto the boat. “Never had a voyage take ‘er down. Ye gonna be alright, cousin? Yer already lookin’ green.”

Claire looked at her husband and, sure enough, she could see his usually tan, healthy complexion change colors. If nothing else, the look on his face gave his nauseous demeanor away.

“Don’t worry, Jared, I’ll have our darling Jamie sitting pretty within an hour of the voyage,” Claire slipped her arm around Jamie’s waist. He clung to her like a lifeline.

And with that, Jared made his way off the boat, the anchors were loaded back up, and the French coastline became just another piece of scenery on the endless horizon.

—

True to her word, an hour after setting sail, Claire administered her nausea-curing acupuncture treatments to Jamie and he was able to eat supper without any ill effects, though he had to keep the needles in his face until it was time for bed for maximum effect. It always amused Claire to see the weird faces of curious onlookers as Jamie presented himself like a human pin-cushion.

The captain of the ship was very generous with their accommodations. Much like their previous vessel, _The Artemis,_ they had a cabin fit for royalty. No swinging hammocks or sharing a chamber pot with the crew below deck, plenty of privacy to boot. And there was a window that opened up when the weather was nice.

Their bed was situated right beside that window. It was there that they laid together now.

“Do you think this is the one, Jamie?” Claire asked, her nude body pressed up against her husband’s own. Their bodies were still coming down from its own personal treasure-seeking mission of pleasure, and Jamie’s body was still visibly aroused.

“Aye, Sassenach. I do. I can feel it.” Jamie angled his head to kiss Claire alongside her temple.

Jamie and Claire wanted nothing more than to finally settle down and have the family they’d always dreamed of. Jamie wanted to fill a house with his children, sons and daughters of his own creation. Claire had never imagined being a mother before she met Jamie, knowing very little of her own. The closest thing she’d had to a mother was her Uncle Lamb’s wife, Anna. But like her own mother, she’d died when she was young. So Lamb raised her on his own. Had Jamie and Claire met sooner in life and under different circumstances, they might already have a homestead somewhere in the Highlands with at least a few bairns running amuck on the land. Handing down the good Fraser name was Jamie’s ultimate goal. And Claire couldn’t imagine anyone else fathering her children; their love for one another was stronger than any other force on earth.

“I hope you’re right,” Claire sighed into his chest. “I want this voyage to be our last.”

“As do I, _mo nighean donn._ ”

They knew they wouldn’t reach the island for another month, so they settled into a routine. They’d gone over their little treasure map so many times, they had it memorized. Good thing too, since they’d handled it often enough for the ink to fade to the point of illegibility. Jamie would help the crew and captain as much as he could, and Claire would use her healing skills where they were needed. Fortunately nothing serious ever found its way to her little “medicine room” (as Jamie coined it). Mostly minor accidents and injuries, a hand needed a few stitches here, cuts and scrapes that needed a bit of disinfecting there. All in all, it was mostly smooth sailing. No pun intended.

That was before the storm of the century broke out right above them.

“HOLD ONTO THE WHEEL, LADS!” Jamie shouted to the three shipmates he was helping. The rain and wind were blinding them all. The wild thunder cracked loudly overhead.

“WE’RE LOSING HER, FRASER!” one shipmate yelled back over the roar of the sea, “THE CAPTAIN WILL HAVE US ABANDON SHIP!”

“NO, LADS, KEEP IT TOGETHER!” Jamie bellowed, but he knew deep in his gut the captain would be right. He could feel the grip on his hand losing traction over the wheel of the ship. He didn’t know how much longer he could hold on. But he would not allow his own doubts to steer the faith of the crew. He would hold out until either the storm broke, or the ship went down.

“JAMIE!” Claire called out, giving her husband a start.

“SASSENACH!” Jamie could barely look at her, lest he lose what little control over the wheel he had. “I TOLD YE TAE STAY BELOW DECK! ‘TIS TOO DANGEROUS!”

“NO! I CAN HELP! I HAVE TO! WE-”

The entire boat gave a harrowing shudder that had nothing to do with the storm. Well, entirely. Wood could be heard splintering and breaking above them. Panic gripped Jamie’s insides and his heart lurched as he saw the mainmast separate from the quarterdeck, its shrouds popping out from their tethered chains on the hull one by one.

Jamie was frozen in place, helpless to stop its descent. Everything moved in slow motion as the mainmast was felled.

Claire never saw it coming, the noises of everything around them, plus her own screaming for him, deafening the oncoming onslaught of destruction. All Jamie could do was cry out for his beloved, her face forever his heart, before she was swept off deck and into the torental, unforgiving sea.

—

_The only stroke of luck in regards to the sinking of_ The Ultimatum _was the direction the mainmast fell. It broke halfway between the center of mass and its chain, and swung out and around, catching Claire by her skirts. She didn’t have time to react before Jamie witnessed the hurricane-force winds lift her up and into the ocean._

_Nothing else mattered to Jamie now. He abandoned the wheel, dodged injured (possibly dead) crew members, and jumped overboard to save Claire._

_He knew he had a good set of lungs on him, remembering how many times he’d won breath holding contests with his brother Willie, and those skills were being put to the test. He called out for Claire when he came up for air after initially jumping from the damned ship, but knew it wouldn’t do any good. He was going to have to find her on his own._

_He didn’t know how long he swam underwater, his hawk-like vision keen as ever. But when he finally found her, body tangled around part of the broken mast, he kicked like a mule with every drop of strength he had to rescue her._

“C’mon, Sassenach!” Jamie cursed as he pinched Claire’s nose together and breathed for her once more. They were on the shore of some unknown island, the sand warm and wet beneath them. He only remembered a handful of some life-saving techniques Claire had taught him, and he was thankful he paid attention to the “how to revive someone” lesson.

One breath, wait five seconds. Another one, another five seconds. He bent low, his cheek barely brushing against her lips, which had already turned blue from oxygen deprivation. She still wasn’t breathing. He pressed the side of his head into her bosom, and was relieved to feel the beat of life beneath, despite its sluggishness.

Emotion got the better of him as he gathered Claire’s unconscious, unbreathing body into his arms, salty tears washing away salty sea water on his face. “ _Damn ye,_ Sassenach! If ye die here, I swear I’ll kill ye!”

His anger melted away at the realization that she still didn’t move. He laid her back down and continued giving life-saving breaths until he was left breathless himself. Eventually, discouragement and sadness took over. He stared at her for a few moments, the tears once again gracing his cheeks with their presence. He pressed a sob-shaking kiss on her forehead, and was mentally preparing to have her buried.

It would never come to pass for Claire started coughing up lungfuls of sea water, choking to regain control of her airway. Jamie gasped in shock, and maneuvered her onto her side. He swept her sand-matted hair away from her face and rubbed her back gently, the large round circles bringing a sense of peace and comfort.

“I thought I lost ye, Claire,” Jamie whispered as he bent low to press his forehead into hers.

She looked up at him, and his heart lightened instantly. Her speech was slow, but her meaning was very clear. “Wild horses couldn’t keep me away from you, James Fraser.”

“Can ye walk, Sassenach?” Jamie helped her stand but didn’t let his hands go from her waist.

“Yes, I think so,” Claire replied, her speech coming back to her. “Do you happen to know where we are?”

Jamie shook his head. “I dinna ken.”

So, they started walking. And by the time the sun started to set, they were no closer to finding out anything. To their knowledge, it wasn’t unfair to assume the rest of the crew on _The Ultimatum_ were dead. Everything they had packed for their journey now lay at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. Which meant they had no food, no clothes except for the soddened ones on their backs, no means to provide themselves shelter from the elements, and no weapons to defend themselves with.

So they did what they’ve always done during times of wayward survival: make it work.

Jamie managed to gather enough materials provided naturally by the island and built a tent as well as one large bedroll-like structure for sleeping. Claire used her knowledge of tropical botany to gather sustenance for however long it would take to find an inhabited village. If one actually existed. Claire relied upon her previous research on the island during this trying time. It had only been discovered by a Dutch explorer some forty or so years back, after its population had been estimated to be somewhere between two and three thousand.

“Caught our supper fer tonight, Sassenach!” Jamie called proudly as she successfully got a fire going. The dead…well, Claire didn’t know _what_ Jamie had dangling from his hand, but it looked fat enough to have a sufficient amount of meat. It would do.

“What _is_ for supper tonight?” Claire eyed the dead animal with some suspicion.

Jamie didn’t answer her, but instead started preparing it for consumption. Claire aided him and within an hour, the two of them were feasting like it was Hogmanay. Whatever this creature was, it was delicious, and filled them up to the point where, no matter what happened, they would sleep well.

However, a rustle in the trees surrounding their little makeshift hut brought Jamie out of his slumber. He had nothing to defend himself or his wife with in the event there was trouble. He tried to extract himself from Claire’s sleeping embrace without waking her but it didn’t work. Both of them were wide awake and on pins and needles, heart racing in time to the adrenaline coursing through their bodies. 

The rustling grew louder and more pronounced. Jamie got up and slowly started making their way towards it, a tentative Claire right behind them. They kept their footsteps as quiet as they could.

“Who’s out there?” Jamie called out, hoping he sounded braver than he felt. He had to be strong, if for no one else, for Claire. “We mean ye no harm.” He stretched his arms in front of him, palms out and open. “No weapons.”

A few painful heartbeats later, figures emerged from the trees. Claire’s vision adjusted to the light of the torches they carried. They appeared to be native to the island.

It was clear none of them spoke a word of English, but with their gestures and hand signals, Jamie and Claire deduced they were friendly at least and trying to invite them to accompany them. What was there to lose, except their lives? The Frasers followed the natives for some time towards their destination. 

It appeared to be a rather sprawling village, and beside it… the exact ancient temple from Claire’s map.

—

It took Jamie and Claire about six months to get back to Scotland, with their bounty in hand. They knew they had to prove themselves trustworthy in order to obtain their goal. It was slow going at first, Jamie would offer his assistance in the manual labor department of village operations and Claire did the best she could as the accomplished healer that she was without her medicine box. It wasn’t until the supposed leader of the village fell gravely ill that Claire proved her and Jamie were worthy to be among them. Though their language was foreign to them, one word Claire was able to decipher from the rest.

_Utuka_

“Vomiting,” Claire explained to Jamie.

A brief examination showed Claire what she was dealing with could be easily cured with proper hygiene and increased fluid intake. Within a week, the patient in question surprised the Frasers.

“I ‘tank ye fer yer skills.”

“You speak English?” Claire inquired.

“I do not reveal such facts to those of pale complexion. To protect my people. Unless they deem themselves worthy. You… _wahine maikaʻi_ , or fair lady, have proven yourself. As has your _hoahele_ , or mate.”

Jamie and Claire beamed at each other.

“How is it, as you say, may I repay such an enormous debt?”

They looked at each other. 

“Well…” Jamie began, taking a deep breath. “We did have a reason for coming here…”

The treasure box in hand, the leader of the village arranged to have Jamie and Claire shipped back towards Chile, where a Spanish governor got word of their wayward misadventures. On an owed favor of the island’s leader, the governer had the couple shipped back to France, where Jared was not only relieved to see them in one piece (considering news of _The Ultimatum_ and her crew were indeed a total loss at sea) but that they had found the so-called cursed bounty. Jared aided Jamie in trading the coins and gems for sterling, and Jamie knew he had enough money to live comfortably for the rest of his natural-born life.

Jamie and Claire were welcomed back to the Highlands as heroes, masters of their bounty hunting trade. They used that time to announce that they were retiring and yearned to live a peaceful life on their own terms.

The money collected from the trade made them the wealthiest people in the Highlands. Jamie purchased a big plot of land and immediately settled on building Claire the home he felt she deserved. Two winters passed before it was completed, and it boasted five bedrooms, living, eating, and cooking quarters, and the back served as Claire’s very own surgery where her patients could come directly for medical treatments.

They had achieved their goals. They were finally living the life they had wanted together for so long.

That was…until the day Claire told Jamie she was pregnant with their first child.


End file.
